Law

Kardashian Visits White House to Plead for Clemency for Non-Violent Convicts

An activist for criminal justice reform, Kim Kardashian West came to the White House last week to present her case to the Trump administration to ease the sentences of those convicted of non-violent crimes.

The listening session was attended by presidential advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, CNN commentator Van Jones and executive vice president of the Federalist Society, Lenard Leo, who was an adviser to President Trump.

Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said that the participants discussed “ways to improve that process to ensure deserving cases receive a fair review.”

Kushner has been pusher for criminal justice reform while at the White House, and he has supported a bipartisan prison reform bill which got successfully through the House last May. Kushner’s push for reform is in direct conflict with the direction taken by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the country’s top law enforcement official. Sessions in the past has blocked efforts at sentencing reform and has acted to increase the use of mandatory minimum sentences for drug related crimes.

Kardashian West made headlines early in the summer when she was able to persuade Trump to grant clemency to Alice Marie Johnson. Johnson is a 63-year-old woman who was given a life sentence for a non-violent drug offense. In the wake of that success Kardashian and other members of the criminal justice group cut50 said they are now trying to get a pardon for Chris Young, another non-violent drug offender.

“When I looked at Alice, I said we can’t just stop with one person. We have to change the laws,” Kardashian West said in statement.

About Gail Nussbaum

Gail Nussbaum has been involved in politics and diplomacy for over 15 years. Her interest in foreign relations, economics and budget policy has led her to her position as fiscal policy writer at Left Justified. Gail can be contacted at gailnussbaum(at)leftjustified.com.